WO2000062733A1

WO2000062733A1 - Method and apparatus for treating objects with ozone

Info

Publication number: WO2000062733A1
Application number: PCT/IL1999/000211
Authority: WO
Inventors: Vladimir Piuk; Mark Shnaiderman
Original assignee: S.P.M. Recovery Technologies Ltd.
Priority date: 1998-04-09
Filing date: 1999-04-20
Publication date: 2000-10-26
Also published as: US6060020A; AU3440999A

Abstract

A method and apparatus for treating an object with ozone by: introducing the object to be treated (F) and ozone into a sealed treatment chamber (3); and applying a negative pressure to said treatment chamber (3) to prevent ozone leaking from said treatment chamber into the atmosphere and to provide an indication of the condition of the seal. The object may be treated according to a Static mode, or a Flow mode.

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING OBJECTS WITH OZONE

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for treating objects with ozone.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Ozone is increasingly being used for treating both inanimate objects, such

as water supplies, food products, and the like, e.g., for sterilization purposes, as

well as animate objects, such as body parts of animals or of human beings for the promotion of healing. The beneficial effects of treatment with ozone in promoting

healing are now well recognized. Examples of know ozone-treating methods and apparatus and applications therefor, are described in US Patents 5,052,382 and

5,098,415.

Ozone, however, is a dangerous material and can raise a serious health hazard if not handled properly. Thus, a quantity of as little as 0.01 ppm (parts per

million) of ozone in the atmosphere can be sensed by human beings, and a

concentration of greater than 0.1 ppm is regarded as being extremely dangerous.

When it is appreciated that ozone treatment processes frequently involve

concentrations of as high 50,000 ppm, it will be seen that the smallest leak of ozone to the atmosphere can create a very real health danger to anyone in the immediate

vicinity. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide an ozone treatment method, and also an ozone treatment apparatus, substantially reducing the health hazard present with ozone treatments. Another object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus which may be used for administering ozone treatments to

both animate and inanimate objects in an efficient and effective manner.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a

method of treating an object with ozone comprising introducing the object to be treated and ozone into a sealed treatment chamber; and applying a negative

pressure to the treatment chamber to prevent ozone leaking from the treatment

chamber into the atmosphere and to provide an indication of the condition of the

seal.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of treating an object with ozone comprising, introducing the object to be treated, and

a fluid mixture including ozone, into a treatment chamber; and treating the object in the treatment chamber in a static mode under conditions in which there is no flow of

ozone into or out of the chamber except that tests are performed at testing intervals

wherein, for each test, an outflow from the chamber is produced, the outflow is tested for any drop in ozone content, and a quantity of fresh ozone is introduced

into the chamber to make-up for any drop of ozone content therein.

According to a further aspect of the invention, there is a provided a method of treating an object with ozone, comprising: introducing the object to be treated into a sealed treatment chamber; applying a positive pressure to the treatment chamber; making pressure measurements to determine the drop of positive pressure within the chamber; applying a negative pressure to the chamber; making pressure measurements to determine the drop of negative pressure within

the chamber; and if both the positive and negative pressure drops are within

predetermined acceptable limits, introducing ozone into the chamber to treat the

object therein.

According to a still further aspect of the invention, there is provided apparatus for treating an object with ozone, comprising: a sealed treatment

chamber for receiving the object, the treatment chamber including an inlet for introducing an ozone mixture therein, and an outlet for removing the ozone mixture

therefrom; a supply of ozone connected to the inlet of the treatment chamber; a

suction pump connected to the outlet of the treatment chamber; and a control

system for controlling the ozone supply and the suction pump to produce a negative pressure in the treatment chamber in order to prevent ozone leakage from the chamber into the atmosphere and to provide an indication of the condition of the

seal.

According to a yet further aspect of the invention, there is provided is

apparatus for treating an object with ozone, comprising: an air-impermeable housing of a hollow construction to define a treatment chamber, the housing being

formed with an inlet and outlet for ozone, and with an opening for introducing the object to be treated into the treatment chamber; a flexible air-impermeable sleeve

having one end lining the opening and the opposite end extending externally of the treatment chamber; and a clamping ring clamping the one end of the sleeve to the

housing. As will be described more particularly below, the method and apparatus of

the present invention may be used for administering ozone treatments in a manner which substantially reduces or eliminates the health hazard presented by even

extremely low concentrations of ozone in the air. In addition, the method and apparatus of the present invention can be used for administering ozone in an efficient and effective manner, both to animate objects for promoting healing, as

well as to inanimate objects, such as water or food products, for sterilizing or other

purposes.

Further features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from

the description below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is herein described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 illustrates one form of treatment chamber constructed in

accordance with the present invention for use in apparatus to treating an object with

ozone;

Fig. 2 illustrates the overall system to be used with the treatment chamber

of Fig. 1 ; and

Fig. 3 is a flow chart illustrating a preferred mode of operation of the

system of Fig. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The Overall Construction

The preferred embodiment of the invention described below is for administering an ozone treatment to a body part, such as a person's foot, in order to

promote healing. The apparatus includes a sealed treatment chamber illustrated in

Fig. 1 for receiving the object (person's foot) to be treated; and a control system as

illustrated in Fig. 2 for supplying the ozone to the treatment chamber and for

controlling its delivery in order to make the treatment effective, as well as to decrease the possibility of leakage of ozone to the atmosphere which could create

a serious health danger, and to provide an indicator of the condition of the seal.

The apparatus illustrated in Fig. 1 , comprises a rigid air-impermeable housing 2 of a hollow construction to define the treatment chamber 3 within it of a

configuration to receive the foot F to be treated. Treatment chamber 3 includes an inlet 4 at one end for introducing the ozone, and an outlet 5 at the opposite end for removing the ozone. As described below, the ozone is in the form of a mixture with

oxygen. Preferably, the mixture includes 95-98% oxygen and about 2-5% ozone.

Housing 2 is further formed with enlarged opening 6 for receiving the foot

F to be treated. Opening 6 is circumscribed by an annular collar 7 having an outer

surface of conical configuration complementary to the conical configuration inner surface of a locking ring 8. One end of a flexible, air-impermeable sleeve 9 is

interposed between collar 7 and clamping ring 8 and is clamped in place by pressing collar 8 downwardly to produce a friction fit with collar 7. The opposite end

of sleeve 9 extends outwardly of housing 2. Preferably, sleeve 9 is of an elastic material so that the outer end of the

sleeve firmly the grips the ankle of the person's foot to be treated, thereby providing

a hermetic seal with respect to the treatment chamber 3 within housing 2.

Alternatively, sleeve 9 may be of a pliable plastic material, in which case the

external end of the sleeve should be firmly clamped against the subject's ankle by

the application of the another clamping ring or band (not shown).

The Ozone Supply and Control System

The supply of the ozone/oxygen mixture to the treatment chamber 3 within

housing 2 is shown in Fig. 2. It includes a container of compressed oxygen 10

connected, via a valve \/ι and a flow meter 1 1 , to an ozone generator 12. The

ozone generator 12, which may be of a known construction, is connected by a

connecting line 13 and a second valve V₂ to the inlet 4 of the treatment chamber 3.

The outlet 5 of the treatment chamber is connected by a line 14 to a suction pump

15 for discharge, after the ozone/oxygen mixture has passed through an ozone

monitor 16 and an ozone destructor 17.

The ozone supply and control system illustrated in Fig. 2 further includes

a bypass line 18 from valve Vi to the outlet end of the ozone generator 12 for

bypassing the ozone generator. A second bypass line 19 connected from valve V₂

to the outlet end of treatment chamber 3 bypasses the treatment chamber.

The overall control is effected by a controller, generally designated 20. As

will be described more particularly below, controller 20 controls the suction pump

15, valve Vi, ozone generator 12, and valve V₂. Bypass line 18 and control valve V_T

permit the controller 20 to cause only pure oxygen, or an ozone/oxygen mixture of

the required concentration, to be delivered to the treatment chamber 3. Bypass line 19 and control valve V₂ permit controller 20 to measure the pressure drop within

chamber 3. This is done by first operating valve V₂ to direct all the flow through the

bypass 19 to the outlet end of chamber 3, and then operating valve V₂ to direct all

the flow through the chamber 3. These two operations enable measurements to be

made of the pressure drop through the chamber.

A pressure sensor 21 is provided at the outlet end of the treatment

chamber 3 to measure the pressure thereat. As will be described below, the

pressure is measured at the outlet end of chamber 3 during an initial testing mode,

to test the seal against leakage from the treatment chamber to the atmosphere, and

also during an operational mode, to maintain a pretermined negative pressure

within the treatment chamber. The initial testing mode is effected under both

positive pressure and negative pressure conditions. Therefore, pressure sensor 21

is connected to the controller 20 via a positive pressure comparator 22 and a

positive pressure threshold presetting device 23, and also via a negative pressure

comparator 24 and a negative pressure threshold presetting device 25. The

negative pressure during the operational mode is preset by negative pressure

reference device 26. The outputs of the positive pressure threshold device 23, the

negative pressure comparator 24, and the negative pressure threshold device 25,

are fed-back to the controller 20.

As will also be described more particularly below, controller 20 may be

operated according to a Static operational mode, or a Flow operational mode, as

preselected by a mode selector 30. During both operational modes, the ozone

concentration in the mixture outletted from treatment chamber 3 is continuously monitored by ozone monitor 16, which supplies feedback signals to controller 20 for

controlling the ozone generator 12.

The illustrated system is operated mostly in the Static operational mode.

In such a mode, there is no flow into or out of the treatment chamber 3. A normal

treatment is generally for a period of 20-30 minutes. Since ozone is relatively

unstable, the concentration of the ozone within the treatment chamber continuously

diminishes during this treatment period. The rate of diminishment is not easily

predetermined since it depends upon many factors, such as temperature, humidity

conditions, etc.

Ozone treatment for healing wounds is generally optimum when the

ozone concentration is between 2-5% of the ozone/oxygen mixture. Thus, if the

treatment starts out with a 5% ozone concentration, during the course of the

treatment the concentration could diminish so as to substantially reduce the

effectiveness of the treatment. During the Flow operational mode, ozone monitor 16

continuously monitors the ozone concentration, and controls the ozone generator

12 to maintain the optimum ozone/oxygen concentration. However, since there is

no flow in the Static operational mode, the ozone concentration cannot be detected

by the ozone monitor 16 unless a flow is produced through the outlet of the

treatment chamber 3.

As will be described below, such a flow is produced during the Static

mode after a predetermined time interval following the start of the treatment, (e.g.,

2-5 minutes), and the concentration of ozone is measured. Controller 20 determines

the quantity of make-up ozone to be applied to restore the original concentration.

The controller also utilizes the magnitude of the make-up quantity to determine the next testing time. Thus, if only a small make-up quantity of ozone is needed to restore the optimum concentration, the next time for testing will be at a longer time interval than if a large make-up quantity of ozone is required. If intervals between tests become too short, controller 20 is automatically switched-over from the Static

to the Flow mode.

For accomplishing the latter functions, the illustrated system includes an

ozone comparator 31 for comparing the actual ozone concentration (C_REAL) as detected by the ozone monitor 16 with a reference concentration (C_REF) inputted at

32. The illustrated system further includes a calculator 33 for calculating from

C_REF (the make-up ozone to restore the original concentration) the time interval for

the next testing period, and an ozone reduction reference input device 34 for inputting the initial time interval. The outputs of the ozone comparator 31 and the

time interval calculator 33 are fed-back to the controller 20.

The Operation The overall operation of the apparatus illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 will now

be described particularly with reference to the flow charts of Figs. 3a and 3b.

After the subject inserts the foot to be treated into the treatment chamber

3 (block 41 ), timer 35 of controller 20 is set for the treatment time, e.g. 20-30

minutes (block 42). The desired ozone concentration (C_ref) is also preset via reference device 32 (block 43), and the mode selector 30 is then preset for either

the Static or Flow mode of operation (block 44). If the Static mode is selected, the

permissible reduction in the ozone concentration ( c_ref) is set via device 34 (block

45). The treating chamber 3 is then hermetically sealed by securing clamping ring 8 with a friction fit to collar 7 of housing 2. The lower end of the

gas-impermeable sleeve 9 is thus clamped between ring 8 and collar 7, and the upper end of the sleeve tightly grips the subject's ankle as shown in Fig. 1. The

treatment chamber 3 is thus hermetically sealed (block 46). An initial test of the seal of treating chamber 3 is then made, as follows:

First, valve V_T is controlled to conduct the oxygen from container 10

towards the treatment chamber 3, bypassing the ozone generator 12 (block 47).

Then, valve V₂ is controlled to conduct the oxygen to the outlet end of treatment

chamber 3, where it is sensed by pressure sensor 21 (block 48); this provides a measurement of pressure (Pi), corresponding to the pressure at the inlet of the treatment chamber. This pressure is recorded in the memory of comparator 22

(block 49).

Valve V₂ is then controlled to direct the oxygen into the inlet of the treatment chamber 3, and the pressure at the outlet (P₂) is again sensed by pressure sensor 21 and recorded in the memory of comparator 22 (block 50). Controller 20 then calculates the pressure drop ( P) experienced in the treatment

chamber 3 by the oxygen applied to that chamber under positive pressure (block

51 ) and determines whether or not P is too high (block 52). If it is too high, this

means that the treatment chamber has not been adequately sealed, which requires that the seal be improved and then returning to step 46.

If P is within the permissible threshold, the software makes a negative-pressure check of the seal of the treatment chamber 3 by turning on the

suction pump 15, regulating the negative pressure applied by the suction pump to the treatment chamber 3 (block 54), and assuring that the negative pressure is within the required limits (block 55). If so, this indicates that the treatment chamber

3 is adequately sealed, thereby completing the initial testing mode.

When this initial testing mode has been completed, the ozone generator

12 is turned on (block 56); valve Vi is controlled to direct the oxygen from container 10 to the ozone generator 12; and valve V₂ is controlled to direct the resulting

ozone/oxygen mixture into the treatment chamber 3 (block 57). The ozone

concentration at the outlet 5 of the treatment chamber is measured by ozone monitor 16 (block 58), and a determination is made whether the real ozone

concentration (CREAL) is equal to that required (C_REF) (block 59). If not, the ozone generator 12 is controlled until the required concentration is attained.

The treatment time is then preset by timer 35 (Fig. 2), e.g. for a 20-30

minute treatment period (block 60). A check is made to determine whether the controller is in the Flow or Static mode of operation (block 61 ). If in the Flow mode, the ozone/oxygen mixture is continuously supplied to

the treatment chamber 3 while the ozone monitor 16 continuously checks the ozone

concentration (block 62), and controls the ozone generator 12 (block 63) to

maintain the ozone concentration within the required limits. During the Flow mode,

the pressure sensor 21 also senses negative pressure at the outlet of the treatment chamber 3 and checks whether the negative pressure is within the required limits

(block 64), and is over the negative pressure threshold (block 65) fixed by the

negative pressure threshold device 25. Controller 20 controls the suction pump 15

(block 66) to maintain the negative pressure within the required limits, preferably 5-10 mm Hg below atmosphere. The foregoing Flow mode of operation is continued until the preset treatment time is completed (block 67), whereupon the ozone generator 12 is

switched off (block 68), valve V, is actuated to conduct the oxygen through the bypass 18 and through the treating chamber 3 to exhaust the ozone within that chamber (block 69), and the ozone destructor 17 is actuated at a high rate (block 70) to convert the ozone to oxygen at a high rate. This continues until ozone

monitor 16 senses that the ozone within in the treatment chamber 3 is below a

predetermined minimum (block 71 ), whereupon valve Vi is actuated to switch-off

the supply of oxygen, and the suction pump 15 is turned-off by the controller (block

72).

If when the mode check was made (block 61 ), it was determined that the

controller is in the Static mode (block 73), the oxygen the ozone generator 12, and

the suction pump 15 are all switched off (block 74), and the object within the

treatment chamber 3 is subjected to a static ozone/oxygen treatment. After a predetermined time interval (e.g. 2-5 minutes), a test is made to determine the ozone concentration within the treatment chamber 3 to assure that

the ozone concentration has not unduly dropped because of its unstability and is

still within the prescribed range ( C_REF)- To make this test, valve V, is controlled to direct the oxygen flow through the ozone generator 12 and into the treatment

chamber 3 while the suction pump 15 is energized. The ozone concentration is at

the outlets of the treatment chamber is measured by ozone monitor 16 (block 76). The ozone generator 12 is switched-on (block 77), to fill the treatment chamber 3 with make-up ozone/oxygen mixture until the concentration is found to be within the prescribed limits (block 79), at which time the oxygen, ozone generator, and suction pump are switched off (block 80). A calculation is then made to determine the time interval for the next time for testing according to the make-up ozone added to the treatment chamber 3 (block 81 ).

The foregoing Static mode treatment is continued, and the next time

interval for testing is computed according to the amount of make-up ozone

supplied, as described above. Whenever the next time for testing is found to be

below a predetermined value, the controller automatically switches-over to the

Continuous mode of treatment (block 82).

While the invention has been described with respect to one preferred

embodiment, it will be appreciated that this is set forth merely for purposes of

example, and that many other variations, modifications and applications of the

invention may be made.

Claims

1. A method of treating an object with ozone comprising:

introducing the object to be treated and ozone into a sealed treatment chamber;

and applying a negative pressure to said treatment chamber to

prevent ozone leaking from said treatment chamber into the

atmosphere and to provide an indication of the condition of the seal.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said ozone is introduced into said treatment chamber in the form of a mixture with oxygen.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein said mixture includes 2-5%

ozone.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a negative pressure of about

5-10 mm Hg is applied to said chamber during the treatment of said

object therein.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said object is treated in said

treatment chamber in a Static mode in which there is no flow into or out

of said chamber, except that tests are performed at testing intervals

wherein, for each test, an outflow is produced from the chamber, the

outflow is tested for any drop in ozone content, and a quantity of fresh ozone is introduced into the chamber to make-up for any drop of ozone content therein.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the magnitude of the quantity of make-up ozone introduced into said treatment chamber during one

test determines the time interval until the next test is performed, the

larger the make-up quantity, the smaller the time interval for the next test.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the time intervals between the

tests are monitored, and when such a time interval drops below a

predetermined value, the treatment is automatically changed-over to a

Flow mode in which there is a continuous flow of the mixture including

the ozone through said treatment chamber.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein, before said ozone is introduced into said treatment chamber, a positive pressure is applied to said chamber, and pressure measurements are made to determine the

drop of positive pressure within said chamber, to provide thereby an

indication of whether the sealing condition of the treatment chamber is

satisfactory for the treatment to be made.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the drop in pressure in said

treatment chamber is determined by measuring the pressure at the

output of said treatment chamber (a) while directing the positive pressure

through said treatment chamber, and (b) while directing the positive

pressure to a bypass around said treatment chamber.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein, after the positive pressure is

applied to said treatment chamber and before the ozone is introduced into said treatment chamber, a negative pressure is applied to said treatment chamber, and pressure measurements are made to determine

the drop of negative pressure within said chamber and to provide thereby

a further indication of whether the sealing condition of the treatment chamber is satisfactory for the treatment to be made.

11. A method of treating an object with ozone, comprising:

introducing the object to be treated, and a fluid mixture including

ozone, into a treatment chamber;

and treating the object in said treatment chamber in a Static mode

under conditions in which there is no flow of ozone into or out of said

chamber except that tests are performed at testing intervals wherein, for each test, an outflow from the chamber is produced, the outflow is

tested for any drop in ozone content, and a quantity of fresh ozone is

introduced into the chamber to make-up for any drop of ozone

content therein.

12. The method according to claim 1 1 , wherein the magnitude of the quantity

of make-up ozone introduced into said treatment chamber during one

test determines the time interval for performing the next test, the larger

the make-up quantity, the smaller the time interval for the next test.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the time intervals between the periods between tests are monitored, and when such a time interval drops below a predetermined value, the treatment is automatically changed-over to a Flow mode in which there is a continuous flow of the

mixture including the ozone into and out of said treatment chamber.

14. The method according to claim 11 , wherein a negative pressure is

applied to said treatment chamber during the treatment of the object therein to prevent ozone leaking from the chamber into the atmosphere.

15. A method of treating an object with ozone, comprising:

introducing the object to be treated into a sealed treatment

chamber;

applying a positive pressure to said treatment chamber;

making pressure measurements to determine the drop of positive

pressure within said chamber;

applying a negative pressure to said chamber;

making pressure measurements to determine the drop of negative

pressure within said chamber;

and if both the positive and negative pressure drops are within

predetermined acceptable limits, introducing ozone into said

chamber to treat the object therein.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein a negative pressure is

applied to said treatment chamber during the treatment of the object

therein to prevent ozone leaking from the chamber into the atmosphere.

17. Apparatus for treating an object with ozone, comprising:

a sealed treatment chamber for receiving the object, said treatment chamber including an inlet for introducing an ozone mixture

therein, and an outlet for removing the ozone mixture therefrom;

a supply of ozone connected to the inlet of said treatment

chamber;

a suction pump connected to the outlet of said treatment

chamber;

and a control system for controlling said ozone supply and said

suction pump to produce a negative pressure in said treatment chamber in order to prevent ozone leakage from the chamber into the

atmosphere and to provide an indication of the condition of the seal.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said control system

produces a Static mode of operation, wherein there is no ozone flow into

or out from said treatment chamber except during testing periods wherein

a flow is produced through the outlet for a short time interval during

which the loss in ozone is determined and is made-up by introducing a

quantity of make-up ozone via the inlet of said treatment chamber.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said control system includes a controller programmed to utilize the magnitude of the make-up

ozone introduced into the treatment chamber in one testing period to determine the time interval before the next testing period, the larger the

quantity of make-up ozone, the shorter the time interval to the next

testing period.

20. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein said controller is

programmed to automatically shift-over to a flow mode of operation whenever the time interval to the next testing period drops below a

predetermined value.

21 . The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said ozone supply

includes a source of oxygen, an ozone generator connected to the

oxygen source to receive oxygen and to generate ozone therefrom, a

connecting line connecting the outlet of the ozone generator to the inlet

of said treatment chamber, and a buy-pass line by-passing said ozone

generator and connecting said oxygen source directly to said connecting

line;

and wherein said control system further includes a valve

controlled by said controller for selectively directing the oxygen from

said oxygen source either to the inlet to said ozone generator or to

the outlet from said ozone generator via said by-pass line.

22. The apparatus according to claim 21 , wherein said ozone supply system further includes a second by-pass line connected to said connecting line and by-passing said treatment chamber;

and wherein said control system further includes a second valve controlled by said controller for selectively directing the

ozone/oxygen mixture to the inlet or to the outlet of said treatment

chamber.

23. The apparatus according to claim 22, wherein said control system further

includes a pressure sensor for sensing the pressure at the outlet from

said treatment chamber, and for inputting a control signal to said

controller in response thereto.

24. The apparatus according to claim 23, wherein said control system further

includes an ozone sensor for sensing the ozone at the outlet of said treatment chamber, and for inputting another control signal to said

controller in response thereto.

25. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein said apparatus further includes an ozone destructor between said ozone sensor and said

suction pump.

26. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said treatment chamber

comprises:

a air-impermeable housing of a hollow construction to define said

treatment chamber, said housing being formed with said inlet and outlet for said ozone, and with an opening for introducing into said treatment chamber the object to be treated;

an flexible air-impermeable sleeve having one end lining said opening and its opposite end extending externally of said treatment chamber within the housing;

and a clamping ring clamping said one end of the flexible sleeve to said housing.

27. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein said clamping ring is of a

conical configuration and is receivable with a friction fit over a

complementary conical section of the housing circumscribing said

opening therein, with the one end of the flexible sleeve clamped between the conical ring and the conical section of the housing.

28. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein said sleeve of a flexible

elastic material and its outer end firmly grips said object.

29. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein said flexible sleeve is of a

pliable plastic material, and the apparatus further includes a second

clamping ring for clamping the outer end of the pliable plastic sleeve to

said object.

30. Apparatus for treating an object with ozone, comprising:

a air-impermeable housing of a hollow construction to define a

treatment chamber, said housing being formed with an inlet and an outlet for ozone, and with an opening for introducing the object to be treated into said treatment chamber;

a flexible air-impermeable sleeve having one end lining said opening and the opposite end extending externally of said treatment chamber;

and a clamping ring clamping said one end of the pliable plastic sleeve to said air-impermeable housing.

31. The apparatus according to claim 30, wherein clamping ring is of a conical configuration and is receivable with a friction fit over a

complementary conical section of the air-impermeable housing

circumscribing said opening therein, with the one end of the pliable

plastic sleeve clamped between the conical ring and the conical section

of the air-impervious housing.

32. The apparatus according to claim 30, wherein said sleeve of a flexible

elastic material and its opposite end firmly grips said object.

33. The apparatus according to claim 30, further including a second clamping ring for firmly clamping the external portion of the pliable plastic

sleeve to said object.